Toothbrush with decorative protective cover

ABSTRACT

A toothbrush is provided with a detachably mounted cover located outwardly of the cleaning elements. The cover preferably includes ornamentation on its outer face. A decorative overlay may be releasably attached to the cover to further enhance the visual attraction of the toothbrush to a user. The cover is releasably mounted to the head of the toothbrush in such a manner that there is air flow and air circulation through the cleaning elements mounted on the head. Various types of mounting structure could be used which results in the cover being readily attached to and removed from the toothbrush. A decorative escutcheon releasably mounted to the handle can be used to further enhance the visual attraction of the toothbrush to prospective purchasers and users.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It would be desirable to provide a toothbrush with some form ofstructure which could prevent the cleaning elements, such as bristles,from inadvertent contact with various surfaces. Such structure wouldenhance the cleanliness of the elements. It would be desirable toprevent the cleaning elements from having their shape distorted bypreventing the cleaning elements pressing against a surface such as asink top during periods of non-use. It is known to provide caps over thehead of a toothbrush to attempt to accomplish such results. Generallysuch caps envelope the entire toothbrush head which creates a chamberwhere contamination and bacteria may collect.

It is further desirable to provide a toothbrush which would beattractive to potential consumers particularly children to encourage useof the toothbrush.

It would also be desirable to have means for facilitating multipledecorative protective covers for such toothbrushes. In particular, itwould be helpful to have multiple decorative covers that could becollected or assembled to spark interest in the toothbrush by users,particularly children. Means for interchangeable use of these severaldecorative covers to maintain this interest in the toothbrush, andbrushing, is also desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of this invention is to provide a decorative cover for atoothbrush wherein the cover is confined solely to the cleaning elementside of the toothbrush head.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a cover which maybe ornamental in appearance to attract consumers such as children.

In accordance with this invention a cover made of a shape retainingmaterial is mounted at the front face of the toothbrush head which isthe face from which the cleaning elements extend outwardly. The cover islocated so as not to be in pressing contact with the cleaning elementsand is preferably spaced from the outer ends of the cleaning elements.The cover is of a size to cover the entire area of the outer ends of thecleaning elements, but preferably spaced from the cleaning elements topermit unconfined circulation of air around and through the bristles.

The cover may be of generally planar shape without any inwardlyextending walls or flanges and may be connected to the head in anysuitable manner such as by one or more posts on the cover extending intocorresponding holes in the head. In other practices of the invention thecover could have one or more depending walls or flanges which could beused as the detachable mounting structure to secure the cover to thetoothbrush head. In a preferred practice of the invention the outersurface of the cover has ornamentation such as a figurine to enhance theattractability of the toothbrush when the cover is detachably mounted inplace.

Removable attachment of the cover to the toothbrush may also beaccomplished by a cover having a length greater than the length of thetoothbrush head. In such an embodiment, the cover may be attached to thetoothbrush by a slip or snap fit of U-shaped cover flanges extendingalong the longitudinal length of the toothbrush. The internal clearancebetween these flanges is dimensioned so that the flanges may be easilypressed over the body of the toothbrush head and/or handle to secure thecover on the toothbrush. Conversely, the cover is easily removed fromthe toothbrush by simply pulling on the cover. As the cover is pulledoff, the flexible flanges expand to allow easy removal of the cover,especially by children.

The cover preferably includes a receptacle on its outside decorativeface. In one embodiment, a female connector is included in the cover tofacilitate placement of interchangeable decorative overlays over all orpart of the cover. The decorative overlays have connectors complementingthat on the cover so that the overlay may be easily attached to orreleased from the cover. A male connector on the overlay can be used tofacilitate this removable interaction with a female connector on thecover. Other connectors for joining the overlay to the cover arecontemplated by this invention, for example, a ball and socketconnector. The decorative overlays preferably have a shape, color andtheme that complement the shape, color and theme of the cover.

It is an object of this invention to provide a toothbrush with multiplecovers and/or overlays that can be mixed or matched to visually engageyouthful toothbrush users. The overlays can be collected andinterchanged on a periodic, even daily, basis to heighten a child'sinterest in using the toothbrush. The shape, color and theme of thecover and/or overlays attract the eye and interest of potential users,particularly children.

The shape, color and theme of the cover or overlay can also becomplemented with a decorative front panel or escutcheon on the surfaceof the toothbrush facing the user. This escutcheon can also be collectedand interchanged, like the covers and overlays, to promote use of thetoothbrush and otherwise enhance its appearance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a toothbrush incorporating one formof cover in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the toothbrush shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the toothbrush shown in FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view partly in section of an alternativetoothbrush in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view partly in section of the toothbrushshown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view partly in section of yet anothertoothbrush in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view partly in section of the toothbrushshown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of yet another toothbrush inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a toothbrush incorporating acomplementary decorative cover and overlay in accordance with thisinvention;

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of a powered toothbrushincorporating the complementary decorative cover, overlay and frontpanel in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 11 is fragmental front elevational view of the decorative cover ofthis invention without the decorative overlay in place;

FIG. 12 is a fragmental exploded view of toothbrush in accordance withthis invention showing the decorative cover and decorative overlay with,respectively, female and male connectors.

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of the toothbrush in accordance withthis invention showing a decorative cover and overlay with another formof connector, i.e., ball and socket.

FIG. 14 is a side elevational of the toothbrush in accordance with thisinvention showing another connector, ball and detent, for releasablyattaching the overlay to the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention in general includes a cover which would bedetachably mounted to the head of a toothbrush at the front face of thetoothbrush which carries the cleaning elements such as bristles. Thecover would be located outwardly of the cleaning elements and preferablybe spaced from the cleaning elements so as not to apply pressure againstthe cleaning elements when the cover is mounted in place. Preferably thecover is mounted in such a manner that air flow is readily permittedthrough the cleaning elements. This free circulation of air can beaccomplished using posts or other releasable connectors for attachingthe cover to the toothbrush head. In another embodiment, one or morewalls or flanges interact with the side of the toothbrush head to holdthe cover in position so that air may flow through the cover. Thoseflanges may also have perforations to permit the flow of air.

In another embodiment of this invention, the cover contains flexibleflanges which extend from the visible face of the cover a distancesufficient to engage the head and/or handle of the toothbrush. Theflanges are flexible enough to attach the cover to the toothbrush withrelatively little pressure, which is particularly useful with youthfulusers. By extending the flanges for some distance along the longitudinalaxis of the toothbrush body and/or head, sufficient frictional surfaceexists between flanges and toothbrush to hold the cover in place.Conversely, the flexibility of these flanges, and minimal frictionbetween cover and toothbrush body permit easy removal of the coverbefore use.

In a preferred practice of this invention the outer surface of the coverhas ornamentation to appeal to users, particularly children. Thatornamentation can be formed in the cover as a raised or indented figure,for example as shown in FIGS. 1-3. Alternatively, the cover itself canbe created in three-dimensional detail to represent a real or mythicalcharacter as shown in FIGS. 9-14. The cover can also form the backgroundfor a decorative overlay attached to the cover as illustrated in FIGS.9-14.

A decorative escutcheon on the front of the toothbrush which complementsthe visual theme of cover and overlay is also contemplated. Preferably,this escutcheon would be removable so that different escutcheons couldbe used as visual complements to a variety of covers and overlaysavailable for use on the toothbrush.

FIGS. 1-3 show a manual toothbrush 10 in accordance with one embodimentof this invention. As shown therein toothbrush 10 includes a handle 12mounted at one end to a head 14. Head 14 has a front face 16 and a rearface 18. The front face and rear face are connected together byintermediate side walls 20, 20 and end wall 22. A plurality of cleaningelements 24, such as bristles, are mounted to and extend outwardly fromfront face 16.

In accordance with this invention a shield or cover 26 is detachablymounted to head 14 outwardly of cleaning elements 24. The cover may belocated where the outer ends of cleaning elements 24 barely make contactwith the inner surface of cover 26 so that the cover does not pressagainst the cleaning elements. Preferably, however, the inner surface ofcover 26 is located spaced from the outer ends of cleaning elements 24as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. As illustrated, the cover extends beyond theouter periphery of the cleaning elements so that no cleaning elementsare disposed outwardly of the cover. Thus, even if the toothbrush isplaced on its side, none of the cleaning elements would contact thesupport surface such as the sink top.

In a preferred practice of this invention the outer surface of cover 26includes some form of ornamentation 28 such as a figurine which would beattractive to users, particularly children. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3,that ornamentation comprises a slightly raised figurine 28 atop cover 26which is designed to have appeal to young children. That figurine 28could also be portrayed as a depression within cover 26. In FIGS. 9-14,the cover 26 forms an ornamental background for the decorative overlay52 attached thereto. However, the cover 26 in the embodiment shown inFIGS. 9-11 could contain sufficient child-attention-gettingornamentation of its own so that the overlay 52 would not be necessary.

Cover 26 is preferably made of a shape retaining material to assure thatit will not come in contact with the cleaning elements. Any suitableshape retaining material such as a stiff, hard plastic or elastomer maybe used. Cover 26 could be transparent, translucent or opaque. Thethickness and shape of cover 26 are not critical and can be adjusted forcost considerations.

Cover 26 provides protection from contact of cleaning elements with somesurface containing harmful bacteria or germs, such as a kitchen or bathcountertop. In addition, cover 26 acts as a barrier to minimizecontamination collecting on the cleaning elements. Where the cover 26 issimply of generally planar shape without any depending walls or flangesthere is complete air flow through and across the cleaning elementswhich also is beneficial in preventing accumulation of bacteria or othercontaminants.

Cover 26 in all of its embodiments, particularly those illustrated inFIGS. 9-14, helps to create an attractive appearance that drawsattention. It provides a distinctive attraction to potential customersshopping for a new toothbrush. Once purchased, that attraction remindspersons that the toothbrush is there and should be used. In addition toacting as a reminder, the attractive features of cover 26 and/ordecorative overlay 52 shown in FIGS. 9-14 draw children to the brush andinitiate a fun atmosphere in which the brushing will take place. Inaddition, parents can use the features of cover 26 and/or decorateoverlay 52 to start a conversation with children which can be steeredtoward the importance of daily tooth brushing. With the use of multipledecorative overlays and/or covers contemplated by this invention, theconversation never goes stale.

These attention getting features of the toothbrush 10 can be furtherenhanced by use of decorative escutcheon 50 generally overlying thetoothbrush handle 12. The escutcheon 50 preferably has decorativefeatures which complement those of cover 26 and/or overlay 52.

Cover 26 can be detachably secured to head 14 in any suitable manner. Asshown in FIGS. 1 and 3 the securing structure may comprise one or morepegs or posts 30 extending outwardly from the lower surface of cover 26.Each peg or post is received in a hole or detent 32 in the front face 16of head 14. Where a single peg or post is used the peg or post wouldpreferably be located in the axial and transverse center of cover 26 tofit in a correspondingly located hole in the front face 16 of head 14.Where two pegs or posts are used, such as illustrated in FIG. 1, thepegs or posts would be preferably equally spaced apart from the ends ofcover 26 and fit in correspondingly located detents 32. Where three ormore pegs or posts are used the location would be selected to take intoaccount the ease in mounting and detaching cover 26 to head 14. Thus,the pegs or posts could be located near the side walls 20 and/or endwall 22 of head 14 or at some intermediate location(s) on face 16.

FIGS. 4-5 illustrate a variation of the invention wherein the cover 26Ahas a pair of flanges or side walls 34 extending away from the innersurface of cover 26A. This results in a generally U-shaped structure.The flanges 34 terminate in bent ends 36 as shown in FIG. 5 for fittingin grooves 38 in the side walls 20,20 of head 14. FIG. 4 illustrates anend wall or flange 40 that can also be provided on cover 26A. Cover 26Ais open, however, at its end disposed toward the handle 12 which thuspermits air to circulate through the cleaning elements.

FIG. 6 shows a variation where cover 26B includes a pair of walls orflanges 34, but is open at both ends to create an open tunnel. Thisembodiment is preferred over the embodiment of FIGS. 4-5 because theopen ends more readily enhance the circulation of air through thecleaning elements.

FIG. 7 illustrates a variation in the mounting of cover 26B as comparedwith that of cover 26A shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 7 each flange34 is provided with spaced projections or balls 42 which fit in spacedsockets 44 in each side wall 20 of the head. The walls or flanges 34 arepreferably made of material which is sufficiently springy or resilientto permit the bent ends 36 or balls 42 to snap in the correspondinggrooves or sockets.

FIG. 8 shows a further variation wherein the cover 26C has side walls orflanges 34 and an end wall 40 as in FIG. 4, but also includes a furtherend wall 46 located on the side of the cover near the handle. In thisembodiment a plurality of vent holes or perforations 48 is providedthrough the various surfaces of the cover, such as the end walls orflanges 34 to permit air circulation to and through the cleaningelements. Such perforations could also be provided for any of the othercovers.

As is apparent from the drawings a significant difference of the variouscovers as compared to conventionally used caps is that the covers do notextend beyond the side walls of the head 14. In other words, the coverdoes not extend completely to the rear face 18 of head 14. In apreferred practice of the invention the covers also differ fromconventional caps in the enhanced air flow or air circulation of thecleaning elements.

Where the cover includes side walls or flanges the mounting structuremay in general be considered as including projections which engagecomplementary mounting structure in the head in the form of openings.Thus, such projections could be the inwardly turned ends of the flangesor could be balls or other projections which engage grooves or spacedholes or sockets in the head. The walls or flanges of the cover arepreferably located at the outer periphery of the cover. The invention,however, could be practiced where such walls or flanges are locatedinwardly of the periphery so that the main portion of the cover extendsoutwardly beyond one or more of such walls or flanges.

In practice the cover would be mounted on the head 14 of the toothbrushduring periods of non-use. When mounted on the toothbrush the coverwould function to protect the cleaning elements by providing some formof ornamentation. The appearance of the toothbrush would thus beenhanced to make its use more desirable, particularly for children. Whenit is intended to use the toothbrush the cover would be detached byremoving the locking members of the shield such as the posts, bent endsor balls from the complementary locking members on the head such as theholes, grooves or sockets so that the cover could then be placed to theside and the toothbrush would be used in a normal manner. After use ofthe toothbrush the cover would be reattached by engaging its lockingmembers with the complementary locking members of the head.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of this invention in which powertoothbrush 10A includes a head 14 on which is mounted a cover 26. Thetoothbrush illustrated in FIGS. 9-10 is a powered toothbrush but thecover 26 could also be used on a manual toothbrush. A decorative overlay52 may be attached to cover 26 to give a full three-dimensional effectto the actual or mythical character or scene being portrayed.

The cover is removably attached to toothbrush 10 or 10A by flanges 54and 56 which extend away from the face of cover 26. The open distancebetween these flanges is designed to frictionally touch the edges ofhandle 12 and/or head 14 of toothbrush 10 and thereby hold the cover 26in place on the toothbrush body. The flanges 54, 56, and preferably thewhole cover 26, are formed of a relatively flexible material. Thatmaterial allows the flanges 54, 56 to snap fit over the head 14 and/orhandle 12 of toothbrush 10 to hold it in place. That flexibility alsopermits ready removal of cover 26 from toothbrush 10 or 10A with just asmall amount of force pulling at the cover.

In one embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 9-12, the decorative overlay 52is connected to cover 26 through the mating relationship of connectors58 and 60. As best illustrated in FIG. 12, the decorative overlay 52contains a male connector 60 which mates with a female connector 58 onthe face of cover 26. These connectors are dimensioned to allow easyaddition and removal of the decorative overlay 52, which is particularlyhelpful where children are using the toothbrush 10A. Other connectorsare illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14. In FIG. 13, a ball 64 formed as partof overlay 52 is releasably inserted into socket 66 formed in cover 26.In FIG. 14, a hemispherical protrusion or ball 68 on the insides ofoverlay 52 fit into a mating depression 70 or socket in the face ofcover 26.

Decorative escutcheon 50 may similarly be exchanged for otherescutcheons using like connectors. Alternatively, escutcheon 50 can beremovably attached to the handle portion 12 of toothbrush 10 with theuse of flexible flanges similar to those described above in conjunctionwith cover 26.

In a preferred practice of this invention the cleaning elements arebristles which could be of any known form. The cleaning elements couldalso include elastomeric members such as massage elements in additionto, or instead of, bristles.

FIGS. 1-7 illustrate the toothbrush 10 to be a manual toothbrush. FIGS.8-12, however, shows the practice of the invention wherein thetoothbrush 10A is a power or electric toothbrush which would have one ormore movable sections on the head 14. The electric toothbrush 10A wouldhave a hollow handle 12 for housing the batteries and motor of thetoothbrush. The motor would drive a shaft which would extend from thehandle into the head so as to move the one or more movable sections.Operation of the power drive could be controlled by switch 62.

Any suitable form of movement of the section(s) could be utilized suchas oscillating rotation, continuous rotation, linear longitudinaloscillation, linear transverse oscillation and a rocking back and forthabout the longitudinal axis of the head. Combinations of such movementscould also be used.

1. A toothbrush comprising a handle, a head mounted to one end of saidhandle, cleaning elements extending outwardly from the head, a cover forthe toothbrush extending beyond the periphery of at least a portion ofcleaning elements on the toothbrush head, a mounting structuredetachably securing the cover to the toothbrush, and at least oneinterchangeable decorative overlay detachably connected to the cover. 2.The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the mounting structure includesflexible U-shaped flanges on the cover that are dimensioned to engage atleast one of the head and handle of the toothbrush when the cover isplaced on the toothbrush.
 3. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein matingmale and female connections on the cover and decorative overlaydetachably connect the decorative overlay to the cover.
 4. Thetoothbrush of claim 1 wherein a ball and socket are used to removablyconnect the decorative overlay to the cover.
 5. The toothbrush of claim1 wherein multiple depressions which are capable of receiving andholding mating hemispherical surfaces are used to removably connect thedecorative overlay to the cover.
 6. The toothbrush of claim 1 whereinthe appearance of the decorative overlay is complemented by theappearance of the underlying cover.
 7. The toothbrush of claim 1 whereinthe cover has decorative features complementing the features of theoverlay.
 8. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein a decorative escutcheon isdetachably attached to the toothbrush handle.
 9. The toothbrush of claim8 wherein the decorative escutcheon complements the appearance of thecover.
 10. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality ofoverlays detachably connected to the cover with at least one overlaybeing mounted between the cover and another overlay.
 11. A toothbrushcomprising a handle, a head mounted to one end of the handle, the headhaving a front face and a rear face, the head having opposite side wallsand an intermediate end wall connecting the front face to the rear face,cleaning elements mounted to and extending outwardly of the front face,a cover made of a shape retaining material, mounting structuredetachably securing the cover to the head on the front face side of thehead, and the cover extending outwardly of the cleaning elements beyondthe outer periphery of the cleaning elements and out of pressing contactwith the cleaning elements.
 12. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein thecover is mounted to the head so as to permit air flow and aircirculation through the cleaning elements.
 13. The toothbrush of claim11 wherein the cleaning elements are bristles, and the cover beingspaced from and out of contact with the bristles.
 14. The toothbrush ofclaim 11 including a visible ornamentation on the cover.
 15. Thetoothbrush of claim 11 wherein the cover is generally planar without anydepending walls.
 16. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein the mountingstructure comprises at least one post extending from the cover andengaged in a corresponding hole in the front face of the head.
 17. Thetoothbrush of claim 11 wherein the cover includes side flanges extendingoutwardly from each side of the cover to create a generally U-shapedstructure.
 18. The toothbrush of claim 17 wherein the cover is open atboth axially longitudinal ends to create an open tunnel between the sideflanges.
 19. The toothbrush of claim 17 wherein the cover includes anend flange at its end remote from said handle, and said cover being openat its end near said handle.
 20. The toothbrush of claim 17 wherein themounting structure includes projections on the side flanges engaged inopenings in the side walls of the head.
 21. The toothbrush of claim 11wherein the cover includes an end flange at its end remote from thehandle and a second end flange at its end disposed toward the handle,and the cover including air holes to permit air circulation through thecleaning elements.
 22. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein the cover isof a size to completely cover the entire area of the outer ends of thecleaning elements, and the cover being disposed to extend no furtherthan the walls of the head whereby the cover does not extend to the rearface.